Bredesen for Obama Health post?

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday he has not had any contact from the White House about heading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

Writer

Posted Feb. 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 6, 2009 at 6:14 AM

Posted Feb. 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 6, 2009 at 6:14 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday he has not had any contact from the White House about heading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Democratic governor told reporters he has heard from several people speculating about his prospects ever since former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle withdrew his name from consideration earlier this week.

"But nothing I'd regard as from an emissary of the White House or anything like that," he said. "We'll see what happens. I'm not packing bags or anything."

Bredesen said President Barack Obama's choice to run the department will assume an important role.

"We're at a nexus where some real health care reform can happen in this country, and you've got a two or three year window to make it happen," Bredesen said.

Bredesen in 1980 founded HealthAmerica, a company that bought and turned around troubled health maintenance organizations. It became the country's second largest HMO before Bredesen sold his stake in 1987.

He touted his health care expertise when he ran for his first term as governor in 2002, but three years later he cut 170,000 adults from TennCare and reduced benefits for thousands more because of escalating costs at the state's expanded Medicaid program.

TennCare advocate Tony Garr of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign is encouraging supporters to work against Bredesen being considered to lead the national Medicaid program.

"Tennesseans died because of these cuts," Garr said in an e-mail. "He acted like the CEO of the managed care company where he made his millions and protected his bottom line."

"We need leadership to expand coverage," he said. "Governor Bredesen does not know how to do this."

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he would support a Bredesen nomination because of "his experience as an executive, as a health care operative, manager and administrator."

Bredesen said in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year that he would rule out a move to the Obama administration because he was dedicated to addressing the state's nearly $1 billion budget shortfall.

But the state's fiscal crisis appears to be softened by a federal stimulus package that is expected to be passed by Congress soon.

"My mind-set is that the state is in for a much easier time for the next two years than I believed it was three months ago," Bredesen said Thursday.